We may only have 3 home games in April but we also only have 4 road games in March and the March schedule looks to be really light. November is tough, but this is a schedule I can live with. It's got quirks, but it could be worse.
The april schedule is not as bad as it seems with all the road games if you are aware that the season is over on april 19 and like Jeff said we have a ton or home games in March. around mid april the Rockets will have a firm grip on the western conference #1 seed so those games will probably just be games for the players to fine tune things before the real season starts and those kind of games are not a whole lot of fun for the home crowd so I'm glad we play a major portion of our home games in March when they will have more meaning for the players and the fans here.
31 nationally-televised games, but with 9 on NBATV? I'm going to have to get NBATV - I'm moving to College Station and I don't know if the regular broadcasts are going to be available there.
I think our last game will be big. Wed 19 San Antonio @ Houston (Battling it out for best record in the Western Conference) J
The April schedule ain't that bad, people. Yes, there's a 6 game road trip to start the month, but assuming last season wasn't a fluke, the Rockets are a pretty good road team. And look at the teams on that road trip. The Rockets are gonna be far better than every one of them. Now November. That month is gonna suck. I don't know why the NBA seems to have it in for Houston every year. Hopefully they can remain above .500 going into December. Then the schedule gets much easier.
Not for those of us who have an HDTV. I look forward to those broadcast that are out of town and broadcasted in HD whether its NBATVHD, TNTHD or ESPNHD. So far it looks like I'll catch some great road games. Season Ticket Holder for 5 years running.
B/CS Satellite has 3 FoxSW channels, when im at my grandparents i get Dallas/SA/Houston games there. They live a little too far out of the city limits to get normal cable. Not sure if they have NBATV with the basic package.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/sports/3301899 Road tough for Rockets during 05-06 season By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle The Rockets not only learned their 2005-06 schedule on Monday, they found out why Clyde Drexler chose to announce only home games. He must have known something. The Rockets will face a schedule marked by unusually long periods away from home, including two six-game trips, longest since the 1988-89 season. Last season, the Rockets did not have a trip longer than four games. This season, they have one five-game trip to go with the two six-gamers. "I can't even remember us ever having a six-game trip," Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said. "We've had five-game trips but usually just one a year." Dawson said the long trips this season might not be a bad thing. "If the team chemistry is strong like it was last year, it can be good," he said. "They enjoyed being together on the road. But each team is different. I dreaded that March last year (when the Rockets played 11 of 17 games on the road), and it turned out to be one of our better months, so you never know." Dawson said he is working on maintaining that chemistry from last season. After signing Ryan Bowen last week, he hopes to bring back Jon Barry and Dikembe Mutombo this week. "There's no stumbling blocks I see," Dawson said. "It's just a matter of working out the contracts." The Rockets should quickly find out about the team they bring into the season. After opening with three home games, they play eight of their next 10 on the road. They finish the season with seven of 10 games on the road. The unbalanced schedule also did not offer the Rockets much relief. With the expansion to Charlotte last season, all teams play four conference opponents just three times. The Rockets will play the Jazz, Lakers, Trail Blazers and Suns three times, rather than the usual four, and only the Suns made the playoffs last season. The Lakers and Kobe Bryant's only Toyota Center appearance will be Feb. 8. LeBron James and the Cavaliers will be in Houston on March 26. Shaquille O'Neal will be at Toyota Center on Jan. 29. The regular season will end against defending champion San Antonio. The Rockets will play 19 back-to-backs, more than last season but fewer than many seasons, and will have 29 nationally televised games. Eight are on ESPN, seven on TNT, five on ABC and nine on NBA TV.
This schedule is very tough. While we're a great road team, having 2 * 6-game & 1 * 5-game road trips is going to be very hard on the players' bodies. We already have a fatigue issue with Yao, this will only made it worse. At least we get 2 * 4-game home runs... My theory is that the L wants the Fakers in the playoffs, and since they play better at home than on the road, this will allow them to do a push in April for a spot. If they play OK during Nov - Mar (say ~0.500), this almost gaurantees them a spot... or maybe I like conspiracy theories too much
